by L. R. W. Lee
“Oh.”
“Well, I just love your attire…so chic,” offered Hannah.
Andy laughed, scratching loose more of the drying ooze from his stiff hair.
“We heard the zolt might be after you,” Alden chimed in.
Andy frowned. “Speaking of which, why haven’t you sent me any letters in the last year?”
Alden and Hannah exchanged glances before Alden said, “The King forbade us.”
“What! But why?”
“Look, Andy, I know you’re upset,” Hannah started, raising her hands.
“Upset?!” Andy exploded. The understatement ignited his temper and, despite the letter, the frustration that had built over the year poured out. “I leave here after hearing Abaddon make a threat on my life. I didn’t know if he was going to hurt you guys or not. The zolt came after me. I watched them close in all year. They attacked my family today. My mom sent me here. It would have been nice to know what was going on!”
Hannah cowered and Alden nudged a stray pebble with his foot.
“Are you done?” Alden questioned, sensing the end of the firestorm.
Hans stood watching the exchange, eyebrows furrowed.
Andy nodded and Alden picked up, “Look, I told the King about the threat on your life as soon as you disappeared. He was afraid Abaddon might try something and wanted to let you know, but Mermin was concerned they might somehow trace the appearo beam if we used it. I hated it! You’ve no idea how many times I wanted to tell you what’s been happening.” Alden propelled the pebble across the clearing, underscoring his point.
Relief washed over Andy and he let go of his frustration. “Sorry I yelled at you.”
Alden nodded. “It’s okay. I was as frustrated as you, trust me.”
“Would someone mind explaining…” Hans interrupted.
The trio laughed, only now realizing Hans did not know Andy’s story.
“Let’s eat first,” Hannah suggested. “Andy, are you hungry?”
Over a hearty dinner of rabbit stew, Andy filled Hans in on his background. The healer kept shaking his head in disbelief throughout the telling.
“I’d never been able to put all the pieces together, but now it makes sense. Well, at least as much sense as your tale makes,” Hans finished with a chuckle. “It’s quite extraordinary.”
Changing the subject, Andy asked, “By the way, why are you guys here, out in the middle of nowhere?”
“I guess it’s my turn to tell a tale,” Hans replied.
Andy smiled and settled comfortably against a thick tree trunk near the fire while Alden and Hannah began cleaning up.
“Where to start…” Hans scratched his peppered chin whiskers with a bony hand as he organized his thoughts.
“You know I’m from Cromlech, yes?”
Andy nodded.
“Well, what you may not know is Cromlech, Carta, and Oomaldee formed a troika of cooperation.”
“A what?”
“A troika. The three nations pledged to act in cooperation with each other to care for the needs of all.”
“When? Recently?”
“Oh no, the agreement happened ages ago. Let me think. It was during the reign of King Savant in Cromlech. I believe it was King Gerrard I on the throne in Oomaldee. I can’t remember who ruled Carta at the time.” Andy assumed a blank expression and Hans continued, “Cromlech’s strength is in the healing arts, both physical and mental. With all its gold and silver mines, Carta’s prowess is in wealth management, be it lending or finance. And Oomaldee’s advantage is in its technology.”
“And?”
“Well, Cromlech agreed to lend healers to the other two nations in exchange for banking support from Carta and technology and innovation from Oomaldee. We healers go in seven-year rotations. I came to Castle Avalon three years ago. Before that I served in the palace of the king of Cromlech, and my assignment before that also brought me to Oomaldee. In all, this is my fifth rotation.”
“I had no idea. But what does that have to do with why you’re out here?”
Hans smiled. “I received an urgent message from Mermin, courtesy of your friend Daisy off the whisper stream, that Princess Yara is alive.” Hans’s tone conveyed enthusiasm.
“Who’s Princess Yara?”
Beaming, the healer continued, “If the message is true, Princess Yara may well be the queen of Cromlech.”
“May be queen?”
“Abaddon attacked Cromlech almost three years ago, just after I started my rotation in Oomaldee. He and his army ransacked the castle, killing the royal family. They pillaged the farms where medicinal herbs were grown and decimated the institutions of learning. Anyone who refused to bow their knee and pledge allegiance to Abaddon was killed, or worse.” Hans shuddered.
“I’m sorry.”
Hans shook his head. “Although risky, I traveled back to see for myself if the reports were true. I nearly got caught, but luck favored me and I escaped notice. Just barely. I searched the castle ruins and came across some survivors who were in hiding. They confirmed my worst fears. I’d watched Princess Yara grow up for the past seven years. She was like a daughter to me.” He swiped the back of his hand at the corner of an eye as he continued.
“With heavy heart, I returned to Oomaldee. So you’ll understand how, when I heard news that the princess might be alive, I had to investigate.” Hans’s smile proved contagious, and Andy could not help but mirror his excitement. Alden and Hannah, who had sat down next to Andy after completing their chores, shared the moment.
“Hans was going to go by himself, but we convinced him he needed my super sensitivity,” Hannah quipped.
“Yeah, and my awesomeness with the sword,” added Alden, smiling.
“How could I resist?” Hans grinned.
“So where are you headed to find her?”
“I’m not exactly sure. The message Daisy replayed was that the princess had run into a herd of wild pegasi that started to attack her but then inexplicably stopped. When she collapsed, the pegasi read her thoughts and put word in the whisper stream that the princess of Cromlech needed help. Daisy heard the message and passed it on to Mermin who passed it on to me.”
My dream! As Hans had been speaking, Andy’s mind raced. He gasped, drawing curious looks.
“By any chance does Princess Yara have blonde hair?” Andy winced as he asked, and Hans’s eyes grew large.
“How did you know?”
“I had a dream.” Andy quickly summarized the highlights, or in this case the lowlights. “If the dream revealed what’s happening, I think your princess is alive.”
“Oh, how I hope you’re right,” Hans wished aloud.
“So where do we go to find her?” Andy reiterated.
“I thought we’d head toward the palace. Hopefully we’ll find her on the way.”
“But isn’t that like searching for a needle in a haystack?”
Hans, Alden, and Hannah stared back blankly. Finally Alden asked, “Why would a needle be in a haystack?”
Andy chuckled. “It’s an expression. It means to look for something that’s nearly impossible to find.”
“I’m open to other suggestions. Time is of the essence,” Hans countered.
“Well, I can describe the landscape from my dream. Maybe that will help narrow things down,” Andy offered.
“Yes,” Hans agreed.
Andy shared and they planned. Their conversation devolved into catching up on all that had happened during the last year until yawns silenced the reunion. One of the soldiers offered up his bedroll for Andy’s use. When Andy resisted, the man assured him there would always be a spare because one officer would be standing watch. Andy relented, and with that resolved, he curled up under the blanket, closed his eyes, and waited for dreams to claim him.
But before Andy navigated to the land of slumber, a voice sounding like Dad growled, “You’re back.”
Andy opened his eyes and looked around. Seven lumps lay unmoving under blankets around the fire.
Snoring sounds sang about the clearing.
Eh-hreehmm, echoed in his thoughts.
Oh, it’s you.
“Yes, it’s me. I’m rather upset with you.”
Andy rolled his eyes, wondering what charges his inneru could possibly level this time.
“Don’t mock. The sanitarium just discharged me.”
Sanitarium? What’s that?
“A sanitarium is an institution for the recovery of health.”
What happened?
“Do you remember the anxiety you suffered over whether to give the unicorn horn to the swirling sphere to save your mom, or to keep it and break the curse?”
Andy’s mood turned serious. How could I possibly forget? I was stupid to think I could save her.
“Did you not hear me cry out? The pain was excruciating. You broke me and then left. I languished in agony for who knows how long until headquarters realized you had left this world again and sent an agent to find me. If not for them, who knows what would have happened to me…or what would have happened to you when you returned.”
You’ve been recovering since I left? That’s a whole year! How could your injuries have been that bad?
“Andy, you have no idea the power of your distress. I nearly died. Of course, that’s better than some.”
What do you mean?
“Some innerus suffer a fate worse than death.”
Like?
“It’s awful. I hate to think about it.”
Oh, come on, what’s the big secret?
After a long silence, Andy’s inneru reluctantly divulged, “Some innerus are paralyzed, then used as channels through which their human’s thoughts are broadcast over the whisper stream. They can’t control what they share, let alone help their human modify inappropriate behavior.”
How does that happen?
“Dark magic.”
Andy’s stomach flipped. Does this have anything to do with Abaddon turning people?
“I am not privy to the cause. All I know is this fate is happening to more and more innerus and we are powerless to stop it. I’d rather die.”
Andy thought for several minutes before reengaging. I’m sorry I hurt you. I had no idea.
“You need to learn to listen to me. I only want what’s best for you, Andy.”
I know. Out of curiosity, what happens if an inneru dies?
“Its human dies too.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Tricky Little Devil
“We need to move. Now!” ordered one of the officers, rousing Andy to consciousness. “There’s an ogre headed this way.”
The group dismantled the campsite and was headed into the foggy sunrise within minutes. Andy, Alden, Hannah, and Hans formed the middle of a wheel formation around which their five military companions walked in silence. Everyone hoped not to hear grunts or other indications of unwanted company. After some time, Andy heard running water and dared to hope for a quick rinse and some breakfast.
As if reading Andy’s thoughts, one of the officers announced, “We’ll follow the river until we exit ogre territory. It’s not safe to stop until then.”
Andy nodded even as his stomach objected.
“I’ve got some jerky,” Alden offered. He extricated it from his pack and distributed it among the four of them as they walked.
“What are they eating?” Andy queried, motioning toward their escort as he bit down.
In response, the soldier to Andy’s right slipped off his pack and mimicked Alden, distributing jerky to his fellows as they continued walking.
“We didn’t introduce you to our guard, did we, Andy?” Hans realized.
Andy shook his head, chewing.
“That’s Captain Baldric,” Hans said, pointing to the man in the lead. He was of average build with blond hair bound in a ponytail extending well below his shoulders. He sported a green tunic and brown leggings, and a matched sword and dagger hung from either side of a belt that evidenced wear. Hearing his name, the officer turned and nodded.
“That’s Sergeant Terric,” Hans continued, indicating the soldier to his left, much of whose face was hidden under a full black mustache and beard. A gray tunic and black leggings covered this man’s large, muscular frame, and he bore a spiked flail at his waist, the ball swinging with each step of his lumbering gait. I wouldn’t want to bump into him in a dark alley.
Nodding at the soldier to Andy’s right, Hans indicated, “And that’s Sergeant Hammond.”
Andy recognized him as the officer who insisted he use his bedroll last night. Andy waved and the youngish man responded with a nod and smile. Andy liked him immediately. His eyes were piercing gray and his face was square with a jawline that could chisel granite. Over the back of his brown tunic he carried a bow and quiver with an accompanying sword that extended from his belt.
“And of course you’ve made the acquaintance of Sergeant Ranulf.” Hans grinned as he turned and indicated an officer dressed in a navy tunic who was following the group. The sturdily built man with burnt-orange hair suddenly became fascinated by something on the ground. Andy smiled at the soldier who had mistakenly roughed him up yesterday.
“Rounding out our escort is Sergeant Fulk,” added Hans, nodding toward the other soldier at the rear. The man moved his lean, athletic body with confidence, as if daring danger to challenge. The axe and sword hanging at his side told Andy he was more than prepared to handle it.
Andy whispered, “Is it my imagination or are these guys…”
“Better trained,” Alden quipped quietly.
“More heavily armed,” Hannah added.
“No. It’s not your imagination, Andy,” interrupted Hans. “The cavalry and army have both enacted more rigorous training standards since last year. No taking chances with anyone’s safety these days. The officers who accompanied us last time were not available, so Regent Bellum selected these men.”
Andy nodded.
As morning wore on, the fog thinned a bit and Andy glimpsed a golden hue radiating off a tall mountain in the distance to his left. While the fog obscured its summit, Andy speculated he knew its identity.
“Yes, that’s Mount Mur Eyah. Pretty isn’t it?” Hans read his thoughts.
“The way the sun shines off it makes it look like gold.”
“Yes, that it does. We won’t be headed near it though. It’s not safe.”
“What do you mean?”
“Centaurs make their home in and around that mountain. While they’re wise, they can also be temperamental and dangerous.”
“More dangerous than ogres?”
Hans nodded.
They stopped to rest briefly late in the morning. As Andy sat on a log, he noticed the path ahead rose in elevation, transitioning from the flat, grassy prairie they had been traversing. The trees also became denser. It reminded him of the trolls’ territory he had navigated a year ago.
“We’re nearly out of the ogres’ region. There’s a narrow tributary up a ways that will lead us into gnome country,” Captain Baldric informed as they resumed their trek. Then, looking squarely at Andy he added, “Prince Andrew, that’s where you can have a good long soak.”
“THANK YOU!” Andy’s enthusiastic response drew chuckles from all.
The sun cast long rays by the time the company scaled the mountain marking the northern boundary of gnome territory. To say the climb up and over the many mountains in their path had been taxing would be a gross understatement. Nearly every muscle in Andy’s body ached, so when Captain Baldric commanded they set up camp, Andy did not take another step but plopped down in the path, much to their escorts’ amusement.
“Gotta toughen you up,” Sergeant Fulk kidded. The man’s energy even after the grueling day-long hike revealed the depth of his conditioning, and Andy understood why he exuded such confidence.
Hans, Hannah, and Alden had the dignity to collapse quietly under a copse of nearby trees, but they looked equally spent.
Sergeant Hammond approached Andy several minutes l
ater and inquired, “Interested in that soak the captain promised?”
“Show me the way,” Andy replied, rising with a significant smile.
The sergeant led Andy around several thickets and through groupings of mature trees. The sound of gurgling water grew louder with each step. Finally, the officer stopped on the bank of a river that spanned no less than fifteen feet. In front of them flowed a small waterfall, the clear liquid ambling down the terrain and forming a deep pool.
“Perfect,” Andy pronounced, receiving a satisfied smile in response.
“I’ll stand guard not far away. If you need anything, just holler.” With that the soldier disappeared into the trees, leaving Andy to cleaner pursuits.
After glancing about, he peeled every stitch of his muddy clothes off and, filthy apparel in hand, cautiously approached the water, avoiding sharp stones that lined the bank. His toe confirmed that the water, while a tad chilly, was not unpleasant. He laid his clothes on the bank and, after a brief hesitation, added the pouch to the top of the pile before slipping in.
A gratified “Ahhh” escaped. Showers at home don’t compare.
Andy splashed, whooped, and hollered for several minutes. Finally he stopped and focused his attention on removing every speck of foul-smelling goo from his body. He scrubbed until he was satisfied that his cleanliness would pass even Dad’s standards. His energy refreshed and his hair smelling better, he dove down one last time, resurfaced, and vigorously shook his head, spraying water everywhere. After wiping his eyes, he headed for the bank to retrieve his clothes for washing. He quickly discovered a small problem, however. As he scanned the shore, he did not see his dirty jeans, soiled T-shirt, muddy socks, brown underwear, caked sneakers, or pouch. Nothing.
Andy scanned the area. What happened? Am I going crazy?
With no other choice, he sat back down in the river and yelled, “Sergeant Hammond!”
The officer quickly appeared. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t find my clothes.”
“Excuse me?”
“I left them on the bank right there, but they’re gone!” Andy pointed to a spot five feet away from where his protector stood.